It's OK to Go Up the Slide: Renegade Rules for Raising Confident and Creative Kids by Heather Shumaker
Reviewed by Laura
the Librarian
Parenting often involves a series of uncomfortable moments, and
Shumaker gives real-world examples and sage advice on how to deal with them.
Shumaker is a proponent of outdoor play, children taking risks and limiting the
use of screen time. She also tackles some other hot-button issues like banning
homework in elementary school and reconfiguring kindergarten.
Shumaker is up front in her introduction that readers may love
one chapter and not the next. And that may be true depending on what stage of
development your child is at. This book addresses topics facing preschool to
mid-elementary school kids.
If your child refuses to say hi to friends or kiss family
members; doesn't want to participate in group activities; or asks you questions
about difficult subjects like terrorism, racism, etc., Shumaker presents
strategies to best deal with these scenarios. She provides a framework of how
kids may view these situations and offers words to use and to avoid when
discussing. The book challenges parents to re-evaluate expectations that
society places on our children and ourselves. A valuable resource for many
parents.
